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Tips and Tricks

We're all travelers here and we'd like to share some of the best products and services that we have experienced. If you have anything to share in this section please feel free to contact us so we can all learn from each other's experiences.

Read below for a list of references and recommendations.

Remember that in addition to mail forwarding and home base services, we now have our full-service campsites and guest room lodging available for rent, our in-house team of vehicle insurance agents right on the premises, and used RV sales.

Even if you are NOT yet a member you can now order RV supplies and parts through our web site gateway and save yourselves time and money!

Don't forget to check out these additional tips, which were long enough to warrant their own pages:

Medical Evacuation / Ambulance Service (MASA)

Much better than anyone else!
Don't commit to SkyMed, FMCA/MedEx, Good Sam EA Plus, or anyone else before you call or email us for details at 605/593-4496 or 888/872-0545 or Don@Americas-Mailbox.com.

Vehicle Insurance

Simple...give us a call. (605) 718-1234 and our team of in-house agents can give you a quote after looking at different providers. After all...who would you rather do business with? Someone right here inside Americas Mailbox or some faceless person on a phone at a call center you'll probably never meet?

After we obtain your new South Dakota license plates, in order to give our members an accurate vehicle insurance quote, you must first fill out a detailed questionnaire asking questions as required by South Dakota laws. Ask to have this emailed to you, fill it out completely, and our staff can then give you the lowest available rates for your vehicles. Without the fully answered questionnaire they cannot give you a quote, since the insurance companies rate you on so many different factors.

Health Insurance:

If you are UNDER 65, we strongly recommend you check with this recommended agent BEFORE trying to call or even log on to the government web site. They have the most up-to-date information regarding the Affordable Health Care act, and your coverage costs are exactly the same whether or not you use a licensed insurance agent. If you do not talk with an agent prior to this, there may be nothing we can do to help you as things must be handled in a very specific manner.

They can also handle those folks needing standard health insurance as well as Medicare supplements with nationwide coverage.

Voter's Registration/Absentee Ballots

Make sure to have Americas Mailbox put the blank voter's registration forms in your box so that the residential and mailing addresses are filled out correctly.

Concealed Carry Permits:

South Dakota and the Pennington County Sheriff do NOT require any classes or range time for the basic permit. Once you have obtained a South Dakota driver's license, you must spend 30 consecutive nights in Pennington County, and bring your Americas Campground/guest room receipt proving your stay to the sheriff's department.

They will charge you $10, do a background check, and issue you a temporary permit in about a week or two. Then a short time later, the Dept. of Public Safety (Highway Patrol) will send you a card that is good for 5 years (the same length of time your driver's license is good for).

Of course Americas Campground and Lodging can provide you with a campsite or guest room for the required stay. When you make a reservation, plan on getting your driver's license at the start of the 30-day stay, then enjoy sightseeing in the Black Hills, and on the 31st day obtain your concealed carry permit.

To determine the 30 day requirement, the Sheriff's Office will compare the date that is on your receipt for the campground or hotel as well as your drivers license. They might give you a grace period on the drivers license for a few days but that's it. Don't put off getting the drivers license very long or until the very end.

6.The Sheriff should call you back in to fill out the application when the fingerprints come back approved. You must do this within 30 days of that phone call, and at that time you would prove your minimum 30-day consecutive stay in Pennington County.

7.If you have completed your 30-day stay BEFORE the results of the fingerprint check are back, you may be allowed to go to the Sheriff, fill out the application, pay the $100 fee, show your 30 days are up, and leave the area. You should ask to handle this directly with a deputy. Suggestion: Do not ask questions of the civilian personnel at the front desk. It has been our experience that you may receive incorrect/incomplete information.

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To purchase firearms, you must usually find an individual range, pawn shop or gun show to have someone willing to sell you any type of gun or rifle. When we last checked ourselves with the ATF, we were told that most of the chain store managements have decided not to sell to anyone with a PMB address, even though it is your legal address shown on your South Dakota driver's license. These stores will tell you they are complying with ATF regulations, but in fact they are simply reflecting the choice of that store's management.

All addresses of this type throughout the country have been flagged by these businesses, so there is no reason to try to change it in any way.

Complying with the Patriot Act:

When you become a member of Americas Mailbox, you will be given a legal address that is good for all purposes, including being on your driver's license.

What you may run across with some credit cards (and also banks and brokerage firms) is this part of the PatriotAct:

(1) Name;(2) Date of birth, for an individual;(3) Address, which shall be:(i) For an individual, a residential or business street address;(ii) For an individual who does not have a residential or business street address, an Army Post Office (APO) or Fleet Post Office (FPO) box number, or the residential or business street address of next of kin or of another contact individual;

All PMB addresses in the country have been flagged as non-residential for purposes of this program.

However, you simply give them the "sticks and bricks" street address of any friend, relative or contact individual of your choice and you will have no more problems. You must STRESS that YOUR mailing address at Americas Mailbox is the ONLY way to contact you. No mail or correspondence will ever be sent to your contact individual.

Fuel prices:

We all want the best prices for fuel. The best places I have found on the Internet to get the prices around the country are Gasbuddy.com and GasPriceWatch. Just click on the state you're interested in and zoom in down to just above street level. They really do a good job. You can even get prices broken out by diesel or gas by exploring the web site. I hope this helps save a few bucks for you.

Bank Loans:

If you no longer have a sticks-and-bricks address to use for collateral on a vehicle loan, you may run into resistance from many lending institutions (they think you're going to run off and never pay them a dime!). Try these: